IPL 2026: Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant tried to inspire the new players of the team before the upcoming season. He requested them to, "let’s take whatever we can from all these gentlemen here and try to build something for this season."

In the IPL 2026 auction held last year, the Lucknow-based franchise acquired six players—Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga, South Africa's Anrich Nortje, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwary, Akshat Raghuvanshi, and Josh Inglis—creating a blend of experienced and talented cricketers for the upcoming season. After the auction, the team also traded for Arjun Tendulkar from the Mumbai Indians and Mohammad Shami from Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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‘Create Something This Season’

Pant welcomed both new and returning players, emphasizing the importance of building relationships and learning from one another. He encouraged everyone to communicate openly, take advantage of the expertise around them, and focus on creating a strong team for the upcoming season.

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In his guidance, the Lucknow-based franchise had won just six matches last year and finished at the seventh position in the points table, even though he scored a match-winning knock of 118 runs in their last group-stage match against the Rajat Patidar-led side.

Pant emphasized the importance of clarity in roles both individually and for the team during the pre-season camp, which is taking place before the full squad assembles from March 15-16. He said, “When we come into a season, every time there is a thought in our mind that lets’s build something; let’s look to win. But at the same time, to be clear in your thought process, what do you want to do? What do you want to achieve as an individual and as a team… And this is the best time to have that clarity. This is kind of a season camp, but still a pre-season camp because the rest of the squad will join from March 15-16, mostly."

He closed by motivating the team to bond, communicate, and approach the season with energy, fun, and a commitment to learning and growth.

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The Rishabh Pant-led side will lock horns with the Punjab Kings during their tournament opener at their home ground in Ekana Stadium, and then will face Sunrisers Hyderabad on 5th April.


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